- minstrels playing at a wedding feast in the town were to pay a tax
- "when playing their instruments they should not approach guests within the courtyard where the ceremony was taking place" [is the implication the minstrels were approaching the guests for tips?]
- the bride and groom should only pay two sous for minstrels arriving on horseback from elsewhere, and 12 deniers if they arrived on foot [implying minstrels were trying extort more money by exaggerating their travel expenses?]
- only two minstrels from Ypres, either men or women, could attend the wedding breakfast.
Of course, we would never do any of these things!
James iv of Scotland married Margaret Tudor (daughter of Henry vii of England) at Holyrood (Edinburgh) on 8 August 1503. A whole lot of English musicians turned up (including the English bearward with presumably his bears) and stayed for almost 2 months, although one tried to leave early and was called back! Also one of the luters was so unlucky at cards that he had to be bailed out by the king.
ReplyDeleteAccording to APPENDIX D of Richard Rastall's thesis Secular Musicians in Late Medieval England, the following payments were made to musicians following the wedding.
11 August: £4.4.0d to the luter of an English noble.
c. 13–14 August: £28.0.0d to eight English minstrels.
£28.0.0d to the English trumpeters.
£3.10.0d to the English rope-dancer that “playit the supersalt”.
£7.0.0d to the queen’s four minstrels that remain with her(ie the queen).
£7.0.0d to the English minstrel that departed and was recalled by the king.
£6.6.0d to the three minstrels of Berwick.
£5.12.0d to the English bearward.
£5.12.0d to the two minstrels of the Earl of Oxford.
£21.0.0d to the three disguisers that played the play.
£28.0.0d to the five loud minstrels.
19 August: 14.0d to the clarsach-player of the Earl of Argyle.
20 August: 56.0d to the pipers of Aberdeen.
c. 21–22 August: £3.10.0d given to the king that night to play at cards,
and since given to the English harpers.
26 August: 56.0d to Cuddy, the English luter, to redeem a chain of groats
which he lost at cards.
11 September: £21.0.0d to the Italian girl that danced. Payment for cloth to make her a gown.
56.0d to the four Italian minstrels, to hire horses to go to Linlithgow.
c. 23–26 September: £7.0.0d to an English harper.
c. 29 September: 28.0d to Bountas, that played on the cornett in the
queen’s chamber.
1 October: £21.0.0d to the English minstrels at their departure.
£3.10.0 to the queen’s luter.
£3.10.0 to Bountas, that plays on the cornett.
56.0d to the Italian minstrels.
Some interesting details. Including that many of the minstrels are identified with a specific place (Berwick, Aberdeen) or person (Earl of Oxford, Earl of Argyle), but as many just by nationality. Also why did that Italian girl get paid so well (as much as 3 disguisers and at least three times any minstrel)? Maybe she was clever in asking for the gown without the king realising how much the cloth was worth? And why was a cornett being played in the Queen's chamber?
ReplyDeleteHenry vii sent a herald (John Young) to record the details of the wedding, I have found a couple of online sources based on this - eg "At Dalkeith Castle on August 3rd, King James himself, in a crimson velvet jacket, rode in with a train of horsemen. Margaret curtsied deeply and he bowed low and they kissed in greeting. They talked together privately and sat together at supper and afterwards he played to her on the clavichord and the lute. Two nights later she played for him." (History Today article by Richard Cavendish).
ReplyDeleteI haven't however been able to find a transcript of the actual source which hopefully would have more details on the music and dancing, if anybody knows where it can be found (either online or in a printed book) then I would appreciate it if they could reply to this comment.